Hidden
by kathrynblack
Summary: Gibbs is hiding something from his team, investigating a crime on his own, and Tony is intent on finding out why. Post JD.
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs' phone was ringing on his desk. Tony looked around for Gibbs and not finding him in the bullpen, turned to McGee. "Probie, phone," he said.

"I am not picking it up," McGee replied.

"Ziva?" Tony turned toward the desk across from his.

"If you want to know, pick it up yourself Tony," Ziva replied.

Tony did not pick up the phone, preferring to let voicemail pick it up. After another 30 seconds it did. "Agent Gibbs, this is Detective Shane Allen with Baltimore PD. Call me back when you get a chance, it's about Jack Workman, my number's 932-2026." Detective Allen left his message and hung up.

"Shane Allen?" Tony asked himself. "Why's Shane Allen calling Gibbs?"

"Who's Shane Allen?" Ziva asked.

"My old partner, transferred to Missing Persons year before I left."

"So what does that have to do with-" Ziva stopped abruptly when the elevator doors opened and Gibbs stepped out.

"Ah, Boss," Tony called, "You have voicemail."

Tony got no acknowledgement from Gibbs, but when he sat down the first thing Gibbs did was pick up his phone and play the message. After listening to it he dialed Shane Allen's number.

Tony could only hear Gibbs' side of the conversation. "Yeah Gibbs what do you need, Detective Allen?....Got it, be right over." Gibbs hung up the phone, opened a desk drawer and pulled out his badge and gun.

"Where we goin' Boss?" Tony asked.

"You are going nowhere." Gibbs replied, hitting the call button for the elevator.

"Well…that was strange," Tony noted.

"A little," Ziva admitted.

"What d'ya think's going on?"

"I have no idea."

"And you don't mind that?"

"No, I do not, because unlike you I do not need to know every detail of everyone else's life," Ziva was getting rather annoyed at Tony, but that was nothing new, "Just do your paperwork. We need to wrap this case up before another one gets dumped on us."

"Where's Agent Gibbs?" The voice that spoke was that of Director Vance, calling from the top of the stairway, just outside his office.

"We have no idea," McGee replied, "A Baltimore Detective called and he walked out without a word."

"Well, it appears you three will be doing this alone then. Got an apparent suicide at Bethesda."

"Grab your gear!" Tony called, "We got a-"

"Tony we heard the Director," Ziva said.

* * *

Jack Workman was a reporter for the _Washington Post_, and one of the best they had. He nearly daily turned out front-page stories, and hadn't missed a deadline in his five year tenure with the _Post_. So when he missed the one today his editor called him in missing.

When Gibbs arrived at Jack's apartment, Shane Allen quickly filled him in.

"Okay, so why did you call me?"

Shane handed Gibbs a day planner. "Guy was meticulous, planned out every minute of every day, he was going to call you tonight, and had two times before. I need to know why."

"You need to know whether or not I'm a suspect," Gibbs corrected.

"More or less. So?"

"He wanted a comment, I refused, he wouldn't get off my back."

"I take it you don't like reporters." The tone in Gibbs' voice had made it clear.

Gibbs shook his head. "Anything else?"

"There were two…I suppose you'd call them autopsy reports, though they're far from official. Jane Doe 464 and 465, died on the same day. Not sure where the official autopsy is, these appear to be just notes, but they're both signed Dr. Mallard. That's NCIS' medical examiner, isn't it? I also need to know how he got a hold of these."


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs took the file that Shane Allen handed him. He quickly flipped through its contents. Why did Ducky have to be so organized? It was part of what made him so good at his job, but at the moment it was annoying Gibbs.

Gibbs would worry about why Ducky did this later. Right now, he needed to know how Jack Workman got a hold of this. "I'm gonna go talk to my M.E, see if I can't figure out how Workman got a hold of this. You'll keep me updated?"

"Yes…but, this in no way pertains to NCIS, so it will be unofficial. You find a connection I'd be happy to let you and your team take a swing at it, but until then updates are all I can give," Shane told him.

"Understood."

* * *

Ducky was just finishing off his autopsy when he heard the sliding doors of autopsy open. He looked up to find Gibbs standing in the doorway. "Ah, Jethro," he said, "I missed you at the crime scene this morning."

"Had something to take care of Duck."

Ducky did not expect Gibbs to expand on what he had to take care of; Gibbs was not one for details. So he moved on to his findings, "Everything I've found seems to suggest suicide- I assume DiNozzo filled you in?"

"Came straight to see you, Duck. I have a couple questions."

Ducky recognized the tone in his friend's voice; it was tone Gibbs used when trying to interrogate a suspect without letting them know they were being interrogated. "About what Jethro?" he asked, pretending not to have noticed the undertone.

In answer Gibbs handed Ducky a folder. Ducky recognized the contents as soon as he opened it. "I thought we had a plan, Duck, and I believe that plan did not include autopsy reports."

"You know my tendency to ramble, Jethro, and with no one to ramble to I just wrote it all down. What does this have to do with anything, and how do you have these?"

"The more relevant question is how did Jack Workman get a hold of them?"

"Jack Workman, the reporter for the _Post_?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can assure you _I_ didn't give them to him. And I doubt Mr. Palmer even knows of their existence," Ducky walked over to his desk and pulled open a drawer, "Last time I saw them they were right here, buried under about 30 files." Ducky lifted out most of the contents of the drawer. "Here it is." He flipped open the file to find a letter instead of his notes. He skimmed the letter quickly. "Well, this is strange."

"What's strange?"

Ducky and Gibbs turned around to find Tony standing in the doorway to autopsy.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, just that…" Ducky trailed off trying to come up with a convincing lie. He never was good at that sort of thing.

Gibbs picked up for him, "Just that Ducky seems to have lost the autopsy report on the suicide you investigated this morning."

"Yes it seems I have. Well, what I did find was that this lieutenant most certainly committed suicide."

"Okay, thanks Ducky," Tony said turning to leave. Something was definitely going on. Tony had never heard of Ducky misplacing an autopsy report. Maybe it had something to do with Shane Allen.

Gibbs looked back down at the folder Ducky still held in his hand and the note inside it.

_If you're reading this it is because you have gone looking for Jane Doe's 464 and 465's autopsies. I have just a few simple things to clear up._

_First: no one helped me attain the reports. So do not go looking fro someone to blame._

_Second: Seeing as these aren't official you cannot claim they are classified._

_Third: I do intend to put them back when I am done._

_And Fourth: I Don't want to run this story without so much as a comment from NCIS, so I will be calling you._

_Take care,_

_Jack Workman_

"Well, I suppose it's obvious what he is running. There's only one thing he could want with those two reports," Gibbs said.

"Indeed," Ducky agreed.

"How easy would it be for him to get a hold of her official report?"

"Being a top reporter for the _Post, _who covers mostly federal agencies, I'm sure he has contacts that would make it easy."

"So we're assuming he's got that too. And for him to come in and take these he had to be damn sure something was going on, so someone tipped him off. I'm gonna find them. No one's gonna taint her legacy with allegations of a cover-up."

"Now Jethro, you know how I hate to point these type of things out, but it was a cover-up."

Gibbs took a breath and seemed to calm down slightly, "I know Duck. It's just that…" He trailed off and did not finish.

Duck nodded. "How long do you think until he runs it?"

"We've got at least until Metro finds him to get the bottom of this. And hopefully dig up a reason to stop him."

"Metro? Is he missing?"

"Yeah. Baltimore detective called me down to his apartment. That's where I found these."

"Called you down? Why?"

"Well it appears I am a person of interest, or was. He was gonna call me later today. Probably going to ask me about a comment. Well, Duck, I'll see ya. I'm gonna go see if Jack had access to the official report."

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Finally! Aren't you so proud of me. I fixed my computer and typed up this next chapter. Have you figured anything out yet? I think at least one thing's pretty obvious, but then again I'm the one writing it.**

**Bye. See you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am sorry to everyone who has been waiting on this chapter. If you are still waiting and intend to continue reading this I thank you. To the story!**

Tony's gaze switched back and forth between the elevator and Gibb's desk.

"Don't even think about it Tony," Ziva said.

"Think about what?"

"You are contemplating how much trouble you will get in if Gibbs comes back while you are digging through his desk, and I'm telling you don't even try. It's not going to work."

The elevator doors slid open and Gibbs walked into the room. He looked around his team's section of the bullpen. "Doesn't anyone have work to do?" He asked.

"Case closed boss," McGee said.

"Suicide," Tony added, "You were there."

"I meant paper work," Gibbs turned on his heels and left.

"Where ya going Boss?" Tony asked.

"Coffee," Gibbs replied.

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Gibbs waited until he was in the parking garage to pull out his phone and make the call he needed to.

"Shane Allen," was the answer.

"Detective you got an update for me yet?"

"Nothing much yet, we're tracking down some of his other appointment's over the last few days. But actually I have a couple questions for you, involving those autopsy reports and his call to you."

"I've got a pretty good idea of what that is about. But I'd rather not discuss it on the phone."

"Of course. Just come down to the precinct I should be here for a couple hours at least."

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"Director, Special Agent DiNozzo is here to see you." Vance's secretary informed him.

"Send him in," Vance replied, "What can I do for you DiNozzo?"

"It's about Gibbs. He's been acting odd all day and disappearing randomly- If you've got him working a case separately that's fine- I'm just…worried I guess."

"He's not working anything for NCIS. I can't help you. You want to know what he's doing you're gonna have to ask him yourself."

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Gibbs sat down in the office of the Captain of Missing Persons.

"Captain's not here so I commandeered his office," Shane Allen explained, "So, what is it that you know?"

"I don't know specifics. I didn't want to deal with him when he called earlier, but based off everything I have a pretty good idea of what he was investigating. I just don't know what it has to do with his disappearance. It was about a year ago when the director of NCIS,"

"Died in a fire right?"

"Yes, that's the story. What actually happened is far more complicated. It would take days to explain and involves the Russian mob, L.A and a gunfight in the dessert."

"So he was investigating an NCIS cover-up."

Gibbs shot Shane a glare that ensured the local LEO would never call it that again.

"Anyway," Shane began, "Thank you for the info. Right now I don't need details. He was also working a story on increasing gang influence in the area, and my gut says that's the root of his problem."

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"Vance wouldn't tell me anything," Tony remarked as the three worked on their paperwork, "Not sure if he knows more than he's letting on though."

The elevator doors slid open and Tony hurriedly got back to his paperwork. Gibbs did, in fact, have a cup of coffee when he stepped off the elevator.

"That took a while, Boss," Tony remarked.

Gibbs ignored him, his attention fixed on Director Vance standing at the top of the steps.

"Looks like the Director wants t' talk to ya." Tony said, also noticing the director.


	5. Chapter 5

Shane Allen looked down at the caller I.D of his ringing phone, somewhat confused. "Tony, I was just about to call you," he picked it up, "What do you need from me?"

"Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, why were you calling him?"

"Name came up amidst an ongoing investigation, which leads us to why I was about to call you. Remember that case we were working right before you left, the murder of that Congressman?"

"Of course."

"My missing person, one Jack Workman of the Washington Post is working on a story about increased gang influence in the District, especially on the Hill. And I bet you can guess what gang and what instance figures heavily in the materials I have found."

"So you think that- Wait, how does Gibbs fit into all of this?"

"Gibbs has to do with a totally different story, one that is just as front page worthy, but nowhere near as far along and not likely to get him kidnapped. Story involves a cover up involving the former director of NCIS."

"Really?"

"Yeah, in the earliest stages of its development and I couldn't get anything more outta Gibbs."

"Figures, Gibbs gets a bit…sensitive isn't exactly the right word, but it's what I got. "

"They got a history or something?"

Tony laughed, "You don't even want to know. But anyway, that other story, what exactly did you need from me?"

"Nothing right now, but I think I found a way to get NCIS officially working with us."

"Good, I was just about to ask you about that."

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"Director Vance, what did you need to see me about?" Gibbs asked as he closed the door to the director's office.

"What have you been doing Gibbs?" Vance asked, getting straight to the point.

"I've been helping local LEO's with an investigation."

"Since when do you help the local police, especially without my okay?"

"Since it involves Jenny, Leon."

Vance sat back in his chair. That's what he expected. Jack Workman had already come looking for a quote and Missing Person's had already contacted him about the case. However, there was no need to bring this up if Gibbs didn't already know. His emotions could easily get in the way. "Is this in any official capacity?"

"No," Gibbs admitted.

"Well, see what you can do about that. I don't want any jurisdiction issues. And talk to your team. They can help Gibbs."

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"It sure sounds like you figured something out Tony," Ziva commented as he hung up the phone.

"In fact I did Zee-vah." Tony did not expound on what it was he had discovered.

"What is it Tony?" Ziva asked after a couple minutes.

"It's a little confusing, but Gibbs is involved because of Jenny and-" Tony looked up at the steps to see Gibbs walking out of the director's office.

"Tony, Ziva, M- Where's McGee?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shrugged, just now realizing that Timothy McGee was nowhere to be found in the bullpen.

"Oh, he went down to talk to Abby about something," Ziva said.

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Abby spun around in her chair to face Timothy McGee. "Tim, I haven't seen you all day."

McGee smiled, "I know. That's why I came down, and I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Has Gibbs asked you to do something not related to any of our cases?"

"No, why?"

"He's been working on something on the side and I thought he might have asked you to do something."

"Hmm, well if I hear anything I'll tell you."

"Thanks. And breakfast tomorrow?"

"Of course."


End file.
